Native Voices
byIn honor of Native American Heritage Month, six Native women share how their culture, traditions and elders have influenced who they are today.
LOCAL WOMEN
Arvina Martin: Politically Minded and Forward Thinking
byNowhere but Madison feels like home to Arvina Martin. She logged a year in Arizona, spent part of middle school in Washington, D.C. and attended Dartmouth. College in New Hampshire, but they couldn’t compete.
Kyla Beard: A Full-Circle Connection
byFamily has always kept Kyla Beard grounded and connected to her Native American roots. Her dad is 100% Ho-Chunk and her mom is a descendant of the Puerto Rican Taíno, an Indigenous tribe that was scattered throughout the Caribbean.
Dakota Mace: Expanding Understanding Through Art
byFor Dakota Mace, art is inherently connected to history, to family and to the land where she was raised.
Samantha Skenandore: Leveraging the Law
bySamantha Skenandore had never thought about going to law school, but after she helped the tribe with a complicated legal situation, it piqued her interest in law.
Carla Vigue: A Bridge-Builder Between Generations
byCarla Vigue has been leading for years — at the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and more — but when a Native elder had passed her the baton, she was inspired to do more.
Kristie GoForth: Pedaling Forward for the Greater Good
byAs executive director of Free Bikes 4Kidz Madison (FB4K) and a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, GoForth is committed to providing access to the bicycling community for everyone.
Pat Zietlow Miller’s Storied Life
byAfter a midlife career change, Pat Zietlow Miller discovered her calling as an award-winning children’s book author.
Social Media and Cancer Survivorship
byA fortuitous connection on social media helped Larissa Anderson discover her breast cancer, and she’s using her experience and her virtual community to make a difference for other women.
Future Teachers on the Fast Track
byFounded in 2020, Education Academy allows high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn dual credits toward both a high school diploma and up to 30 credits of an associate’s degree in the Liberal Arts Transfer Education Pathway from Madison College.